parkrun

Welcome to parkrun on ChangeX! Our goal is that there will be a parkrun in every village, town or city that wants one. We believe it’s everyone’s right to get up on a Saturday and run in a 5km timed event without paying for the pleasure. We're always looking for individuals to come forward and lead the charge to bring a parkrun to their neighborhood. Below you'll find all the information you need to get started!

Matt Shields, parkrun Ireland

** There is a small seed fund available to new parkruns starting in County Kerry, through the Community Foundation for Ireland. Register to start a parkrun to find out more. **

parkrun is a very simple concept: turn up every Saturday and run 5km, or if you’re a junior then 2km every Sunday. It doesn’t matter how fast you go. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. What mat...

** There is a small seed fund available to new parkruns starting in County Kerry, through the Community Foundation for Ireland. Register to start a parkrun to find out more. **

parkrun is a very simple concept: turn up every Saturday and run 5km, or if you’re a junior then 2km every Sunday. It doesn’t matter how fast you go. It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing. What matters is taking part.

There are now parkrun events each Saturday and Sunday in countries all around the world. Each event is based in a unique location like a park, beach or promenade. All events are organised by a group of local dedicated volunteers. parkrun is all about inclusiveness and wellbeing. We want as many people as possible to feel part of a real local community brought together by our events, as well as the global parkrun family.

The first event in Ireland was November 2012. Since then 128,000 people have registered for parkrun and there have been 530,000 runs across the country. The single most important thing we need is for individuals to come forward and lead the charge to bring a parkrun to their neighborhood. The team at parkrun will then work with you to provide all the know-how to make an event possible – from how to establish a course to creating a team of volunteers.

The local athletics clubs have been very enthusiastic about the event and have gained new members across many abilities, and several casual running and walking groups have been formed, not to mention new friendships, social events and even holidays being organized between participants of the weekly events. One of the great appeals of parkrun is that it is consistent and predictable: it's always on at the same time and same place, it's free, and it's very enjoyable!

Paul Richardson, Griffeen parkrun

At our parkrun you can bring the kids, the dog, push a buggy, have a chat, look at the scenery, volunteer and simply enjoy what is going on around you. We regularly have participants ranging in age from five to eighty five and everyone takes their own special something from it. There is a unique bond between parkrunners and we have welcomed parkrun tourists from places as far away as New Zealand and Australia and as close to home as Glengarriff and Castlehaven.

John Walsh, Bere Island parkrun

How to get involved

Time:
Organising a weekly parkrun will take approximately 4 hours a week

We want to make sure that every town or village that wants a parkrun has one so if you'd like to start one in your community, take a look at what's involved and then click on Start a parkrun to get started. We'll provide plenty of support along the way!

5 Steps

Choose your parkRecruit your teamOrganise local fundingGet your parkrun kitSet a date for your first run

Who?

is passionate about health and communityis happy working with a team of volunteersis organised and committed